The Painful Truth
by Gangster 90
Summary: It always bugged me that Jack never found out about Norrington's death in AWE. When Elizabeth tells him about it, how will he react? This is Slash. Sparrington. With implied Norribeth, if you squint. Please read and review.


_**The Painful Truth.**_

Disclaimer: I don't own _**Pirates of the Caribbean.**_

The night was dark and still at Shipwreck Cove. Except for the gentle sound of waves lapping up against the ship, no noise was to be heard. Most of the pirates were inside. They were readying themselves for tomorrow.

A big battle between them and the armada of the East India Trading Company was set to take place. It was expected to be a fight to the finish. There would probably be many causalities. That didn't bother the pirates though. If one of them did die, it would be for freedom. That was something worth fighting, AND, DIEING, for.

The only person up and about was Captain Jack Sparrow. He was on a quest to find rum. It wasn't going too well. Jack was starting to get desperate.

'This is unbelievable!" Jack groaned. "Why is the rum ALWAYS gone?! Of all the places on earth, I would have thought that this cove would have been overflowing with rum. We are all pirate here." Jack knew perfectly well, as did everyone, that pirates loved rum. Why wouldn't he? He was a pirate himself, after all.

"I propose this be added to the code," said Jack. "A pirate must keep rum on or near his person at all times." Then Jack saw something twinkling from out of the corner of his eye. He went over to see what it was. It was a full bottle of rum. Jack picked it up.

"At last", said Jack. I've been looking all over the place for you." Jack gripped the bottle tightly in his left hand. He was about to walk away, until he heard someone say his name.

"Jack", said the voice. Jack spun around quickly. He turned so fast that he almost dropped his rum. He turned to see Elizabeth Swann standing in front of him. Elizabeth was the newly-appointed captain of the _**Empress**_, and king of the Brethren Court.

"Elizabeth", said Jack. He was unable to keep the surprise out of his voice. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Nothing", said Elizabeth. "What are you doing?" she asked Jack.

"I was looking for this", said Jack. He held up the bottle of rum.

Elizabeth smiled. "Why am I not surprised?" she asked. She was trying very hard not to laugh.

"Hey, don't get any funny ideas", said Jack. "I'll never forget the last time you were around my rum."

"How many times can I say I'm sorry for burning your rum?" Elizabeth asked.

"Not enough", said Jack. "Killing me is one thing. But burning my rum, that's inexcusable. Then Jack noticed a sad look appear on Elizabeth's face.

"Now what's wrong with you?" he asked.

"I was just thinking about what happened after Sao Feng was killed", said Elizabeth.

"Were you actually on the _**Flying Dutchman**_?" Jack asked. Elizabeth nodded.

"Did you really meet Davy Jones?" asked Jack.

"Briefly", said Elizabeth.

"There is one more thing I want to ask", said Jack. "How did you escape?"

"I had some help", said Elizabeth. "From James Norrington."

"Ah. And how is the traitorous ex-commodore?" asked Jack.

"He was promoted to the rank of admiral", Elizabeth explained. Jack felt a sense of pride swell up inside of him. He was careful not to show it though. Because the feeling also confused him as well.

"If he saved you, where is the good admiral now?" asked Jack. Elizabeth swallowed hard before speaking. Then she took a deep breath. Her next words caused Jack's world to come crashing down.

"He died, Jack," said Elizabeth. Jack's smile faded. It was replaced by look that was a mix of pure horror, shock, sadness and anger.

"What?!" asked Jack. "How did that happen?!"

"He was stabbed", said Elizabeth. "By "Bootstrap" Bill Turner."

"I'm so sorry, Elizabeth", said Jack. "I know how much Norrington meant to you."

"Thank-you, Jack", said Elizabeth. Small tears were in her eyes. But Jack didn't notice them. Now was the first time since the tragedy happened that she was able to grieve the loss of her former fiancé. Elizabeth would remember James for many things. Some were good. Some were bad. But the most painful memory of all had to be the kiss they'd shared just moments before James' death.

"Pardon me", Jack said suddenly. "But I have to go." With the rum bottle firmly in hand, he walked away.

Jack locked himself in his quarters. He paced back and forth. The bottle of rum stood open on the table. Jack paid it no heed. He wasn't very thirsty. He kept replaying what Elizabeth had told him over and over again in his mind.

James Norrington was dead. It felt a bit surreal. Jack couldn't bring himself to believe that. He hoped it only a dream, and that he would wake up soon. But deep down inside, Jack knew it was reality. Norrington had indeed died. Jack would have to deal with it. The trouble was, he just couldn't deal with it.

"What's the matter with me?" Jack asked himself. "Why do I feel this way? Why did I become all proud when Elizabeth told me that Norrington was an admiral? And most importantly of all, why do I miss him?" This question bothered Jack more than all of the others.

"I shouldn't be missing him", said Jack. "He was a traitor. "Traitors don't deserve to be missed." Then a revelation dawned on Jack; he loved James.

"There's no use in denying it, Sparrow", said Jack. "You did love that man. Maybe admitting that will make it easier to mourn." No sooner than Jack had said that, though, did a new wave a sadness come over him.

"Or not", said Jack.

Then Jack envisioned Norrington's face in his mind. He remembered James' well-built chin and nose. He also saw the instantly kissable lips. Then there was Norrington's most prominent feature, his beautiful grey-green eyes. They showed great confidence. But at the same time, those eyes also conveyed loneliness and a need to be loved. Much like Jack's very own brown eyes.

Now Jack was trying to figure out who to blame. That was the hard part. He couldn't blame Norrington. The admiral was unable to help it that he died. Elizabeth couldn't be blamed either. She felt it was her duty to tell Jack what had happened. Jack didn't want to blame himself. He wasn't even there. He wished he had been. But Jack knew that even if he was there, he still wouldn't be able to do anything. Bootstrap was out of the question too. The man was possessed. He wasn't thinking straight. Then Jack thought of Davy Jones.

Jack wasn't sure if Jones had even been present at Norrington's death. Something just told him that the octopus- like sea captain was the right person to blame. Jones had been plaguing the seas for years. His reign of terror had to come to an end.

Jack had already decided that he would stab the heart of Davy Jones, therefore killing him. Then Jack would become the captain of the _**Flying Dutchman.**_ He'd be immortal, and free to sail the seas for all of eternity.

James' death had now given Jack more of an incentive to do that. He knew that stabbing the heart may or may not bring James back. But he had to try. It was all for love. With that in mind, Jack peacefully and quietly, went to sleep.

_**The End.**_

A/N: 1.) I can't believe I wrote this. I mean, it's Slash. Not that I have a problem with Slash. I'm actually very accepting of it. And Sparrington is my favorite paring. It's just that I never considered myself brave enough to write it.

2.) I may be wrong about the color of James' eyes. The only reason I said they were grey-green is because that's how they looked to me. If someone knows what color they really are, please tell me. But keep in mind that if this is a blunder, it's not entirely my fault. It was very hard to tell what color his eyes are.


End file.
